Title Unseen art : making, vision, and power in ancient Mesoamerica / Claudia Brittenham

Edition First edition Published Austin : University of Texas Press, 2023 ©2023

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Description 1 online resource (xiv, 171 pages) : illustrations (chiefly color), maps Series Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture. Summary "Claudia Brittenham is interested in understanding a puzzling phenomenon in Mesoamerican art history: why many of the objects that we now view in museums were, in their original contexts, extraordinarily difficult to see. We have become so used to seeing art, usually fully displayed when in a museum, that it is easy to forget how pieces of ancient art functioned and were situated within their original context. Many of these pieces had sacred and ritualistic purposes and therefore were placed in ways that allowed them to be only partially viewed, if at all, by the general public or by a select few. Brittenham posits that this was purposeful and imbued the objects with deep meaning for those who could view them, as well as ritualistic meaning for those who could not see the objects but understood this to be part of their importance. She examines Olmec buried offerings, Maya lintels, and carvings on the undersides of Aztec sculptures. The case studies she looks at are some of the most extreme examples of unseen art in Mesoamerica, offering new perspectives on some of the most charismatic of all Mesoamerican artworks. She argues that unseen art has important implications both for understanding the exercise of power in ancient Mesoamerica and for the practice of art history in the present"-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Description based upon print version of record Subject Indians -- Antiquities. Indians -- Antiquities -- Religious aspects Olmec art. Maya art. Aztec sculpture. Religious articles -- Central America Religious articles -- Mexico Ceremonial objects -- Central America Ceremonial objects -- Mexico Olmecs -- Rites and ceremonies Mayas -- Rites and ceremonies Aztecs -- Rites and ceremonies ART / General Aztec sculpture Aztecs -- Rites and ceremonies Ceremonial objects Indians -- Antiquities Maya art Mayas -- Rites and ceremonies Olmec art Religious articles Central America Mexico Form Electronic book ISBN 1477325972 9781477325971

Other Titles Making, vision, and power in ancient Mesoamerica

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